


The First Mice in Space

by TheManedWolf



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 02:16:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15208643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheManedWolf/pseuds/TheManedWolf
Summary: The first tiny astronauts in Zootopia's space program boldly go where no mouse has gone before.





	The First Mice in Space

In the early days of space flight, the risks were high, but so was the excitement for space, among both the general public, and prospective astronauts.   
The 'Zootopian Aeronautics and Space Administration' (ZASA) was founded in 1958, and they quickly set to work on developing rockets powerful enough to pierce the heavens.   
Their first rockets were built for unmanned missions, but the goal of eventually putting the first mammals into space was always on their minds.

After their first successful unmanned mission, the scientists at ZASA began their search for astronaut candidates, who had to meet a set of strict criteria.  
A suitable astronaut had to be physically fit, be of sound mind, be courageous and lastly, be small.   
ZASA's early rockets were only capable of lifting payloads of a few pounds into space, so prospective astronauts would have to be as small as possible, which meant they had to be mice.  
The crew capsule for the first manned mission was not much bigger than a grapefruit, but it had to fill many requirements.  
It needed to hold both a pilot and a copilot, as well as all the electronics and life support needed to both keep them alive, from launch to landing.  
The small size of the capsule meant that the mission was not for the claustrophobic, but luckily, mice feel safe in enclosed spaces.

After a series of grueling trials, the scientists at ZASA choose the two mice that would be the first into space.  
Vladimir Karstomys, a 24 year old gray field mouse, who had previously flown high altitude balloons, was to be the pilot.  
For the copilot, they chose Virgil Grandis, a 21 year old brown deer mouse who, despite his young age, was a master of both electronics and miniature rally car driving.

A launch pad for the mission was built on the coast of Sahara Square, on the outskirts of a town called Sandy Ridge.   
The pair of intrepid mice astronauts went through all the training the scientists at ZASA could dream up to prepare them for the unknowns of space, until finally, launch day arrived.   
It was a nice sunny day, as usual for Sahara Square, with only a slight breeze; ideal conditions for a launch.  
The two mice were helped into their bulky spacesuits, and then they were then lifted up to their capsule at the top of the rocket, by a maned wolf technician.  
After all the pre-flight checks were complete, it was time to begin the launch countdown.  
When the count reached zero, the main engines ignited, and the rocket began to lift off into the sky.  
If all went well, the rocket would reach orbit in just ten minutes, but unfortunately, that was not to be.

Thirty seconds into the flight, mission control received a message from Virgil, "Uh control, my instruments are reporting excess vibration in engine number three, please advise."   
Moments later, said engine tore loose from the rocket, causing it to begin tilting back down to the sands of Sahara Square.   
Again Virgil called control, this time in a more frantic tone, "Mayday! Mayday! We've lost control!" to which control replied, "You're authorized to jettison the crew capsule, activate the emergency release now!"  
The two ZASA astronauts then scrambled to turn the pair of tiny keys needed to activated the emergency jettison mechanism, which broke the crew capsule free from the rocket, via explosive bolts.   
Sadly they were not quick enough; although the capsule separated, the rocket exploded moments later, and shredded the crew capsule's parachute, which had only just begun to unfurl.   
The burning fragments of the booster rocket plummeted back to the ground, along with the crew capsule, which had the tattered remains of its parachute flapping uselessly above it. 

Twisted metal debris from the rocket crashed into the sand dunes near the almost completed Oasis Hotel, with only small pieces of wreckage landing on the surrounding buildings.   
The crew capsule however, with it's crew still aboard, slammed into the roof of the hotel itself, and pierced through the ceiling.   
A rescue crew quickly arrived at the site of the crash, but even if they had been on the scene already, it would have been too late, as the crew had died on impact.   
It was a tragic end to ZASA's first manned mission, but they were determined to press on.

A few days after the one year anniversary of the disaster, a new crew consisting of a pilot named Scurry Gagarin, and a copilot named Alan Shepherve, was ready to take to the stars.  
This time the launch was a complete success, and the crew capsule reached orbit after ten minutes of flight, exactly as planned.  
The capsule made several orbits around the planet, and just before beginning the the de-orbit burn, Alan flipped a switch on the console; this caused a small capsule containing the ashes of the first crew to be jettisoned in to space, so that they too could be among the stars.   
After an an exciting, but uneventful re-entry burn, the crew capsule splashed down in the blue waters off the coast of Sahara Square, and was quickly recovered by a team of otters.  
The story of the two brave mice Scurry Gagarin and Alan Shepherve was front page news all across the world, and both soon became household names.   
A week later, the names and story of the ill-fated first crew were cast onto a bronze plaque, which was then attached to the wall on the roof deck of the completed Oasis Hotel, in a small and somber ceremony.   
Vladimir Karstomys and Virgil Grandis soon faded from the collective memory of Zootopia's public, but not from from the memory of those working at ZASA.  
A portrait of the pair hung at the front of the control room, to serve as a reminder of the sacrifice they had made, and to ensure their story was not forgotten.

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted as a greentext on 11/11/2017, and was my first piece of Zootopia fan-fiction. It was full of typos and awkward sentences, but I liked the story, so I decided to clean it up and post it here.


End file.
